Remember Me(Old Version)
by VampireBasket
Summary: Sequel to Erase Me/A sharp ripple of air erupted around her, sending her flailing backwards until her back collided with something cold and hard. Deidara was in front of her in a flash, and she shook her head warily. The man was lying face down on the ground behind him. 'Is he...' She gulped. 'Yeah, he's dead, Akira.'/M for language. DeiXOC - OLD VERSION DISCONTINUED, BEING REDONE.
1. Chapter 1 - Boredom

Hello! I have returned!

I know it's been ages but lots of things have happened, I had like, 3 jobs, started Uni blah blah...

Anyway! I promised a sequel and now it's Christmas break I finally have time to write again! I hope I don't disappoint, keep me posted on how I'm doing, and if you have any ideas that could work in this story let me hear them! :D

So if you haven't read Erase Me, this isn't gonna make much sense half the time! But I'm happy to answer any questions either via reviews or messaging whatever :)

Disclaimer: Unfortunately I do not own Naruto or any of it's characters, only the OCs.

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The mist was thick. Thicker than it normally was, which usually meant there was trouble on the horizon. The Mizukage had order extra guard patrol since the attack on the village watchtowers two weeks ago, so Haru often found himself incapacitated and therefore withdrawn from his self-assigned duty of keeping an eye on his green-haired friend. Despite his best efforts, he was forced to remain loyal to his leader's orders over his own, so rarely saw Akira these days.

Like the extreme weather, Akira's head was dull and hazy from her increasing lack of sleep, and on this particular morning, she found herself sitting on her wide windowsill hugging her knees, and watching an oblivious Haru in the distance on his patrol.

She missed his company, and wished she could talk to him again about her increasing concern of the reoccurring dream. She avoided sleep as much as possible, because the night only brought back the faces.

They had agreed to tell no one that she had recognised the blonde intruder that had entered the village, although his partner was unfamiliar. She'd had short red hair that flicked out in all directions, with bright amber eyes that seemed to glow as they glared out from under her spiky fringe.

The attack had been a strange one. They had taken nothing and attacked no one but the watchtowers, simply entered the village and left again. But why? There was a hushed rumour circulating the higher-level ninja's that they were from an S-rank criminal group and had possibly come looking for someone or something. The Jinchuuriki were their first guess, but since Yagura had long since been captured, and Utakata had not been seen for several months (presumed also captured), they dismissed that thought.

Their next idea was that they were assessing their defence levels and planning some sort of sneak attack in an attempt to capture the Mizukage. But something about that just didn't seem right. They'd left as quickly as they'd come.

From her seat in the window, Akira began to draw the red cloud pattern in condensation with her forefinger, which she'd seen on their cloaks. She sighed and scrubbed it away, swinging her legs off the windowsill and pottered into the hall to get her coat. Haru may be on duty, but she could still accidentally on-purpose bump into her friend on a fresh morning stroll.

She found him easily, pacing back and forth beneath the Kage building. His eyes lit up as she approached, a grin forming on his pale face.

'Hey, stranger,' he called merrily, a cloud of vapour puffing from his mouth as his breath met the cold air.

'Long time no see,' She offered him a sad smile, rubbing her arms to keep warm.

'What brings you outside in this temperature?'

'I just had to get out of the house. I haven't slept much and I was bored…' She leaned against the building tiredly, twisting a loose piece of hair between her fingers. 'How's Kage-watch going?'

'Just wonderful… It's simply thrilling standing around in the freezing cold all day!' He rolled his eyes sarcastically and she grinned.

'Well it's a good job I bumped into you then isn't it!' Reaching into her coat, she pulled out a silver flask and, unscrewing the lid, offered him a cup.

'So what really brings you out here, then?' Haru lifted his chocolate brown eyes from the small plastic cup now filled with steaming tea. She met his gaze momentarily before dropping her head to watch her feet as she rolled a stone beneath her left foot.

'I needed to talk to you. About two weeks ago. I can't stop thinking about it and it's scaring me…' Her tone was hushed and she kept her face down as she spoke. 'What if I did something terrible?'

Her friend took a small sip from his cup before reaching out to take her hand, giving it a small squeeze. 'Don't assume the worst. If they really are from…' He paused to glance around him, lowering his voice to barely a whisper as his spoke again. '…The Akatsuki, then who knows what happened to you. Besides, that was two years ago! A lot has changed since then, and you're not a bad person. I don't think you ever could be.'

********** Elsewhere **********

'Jashin-damn-it I'm bored. I'm so fucking bored, damn it.'

'Yes, you may have mentioned that once or twice, Idiot. Now shut up while I count…'

Hidan scowled at his partner as he watched him lay out several piles of notes onto the larger coffee table in the room.

From across the room, Kisame groaned. 'Why do you _always_ have to use that one? What's wrong with the floor? Or, oh I don't know, you room?!'

'Why does it bother you so much, Fish face? You're not even using a table.' Kakuzu growled at the blue man as he watched small white eyes narrow in his direction.

'Because if I wanted to use a table, that would be the one I'd use.'

'Will you guys all just quit your whining and shut the hell up?!' A new face entered the room, scowling at them with piercing amber eyes. She ran a hand through her short hair and slumped into an worn-looking cream couch.

'Piss off, shorty. No one asked you!' Hidan glowered, his magenta eyes flashing in irritation at the red head.

'Geez, alright Zombie! Don't get your knickers in a twist. What's new anyway? Heard anything from above?'

Kisame tutted. 'Not a single thing. Nothing. Nada. Zilch! Although Itachi reckons he'll make his move soon. He's just as bored as we are…'

As if on cue, the raven-haired member drifted in through the doorway and perched on the edge of a chair. Behind him came Pein and Konan, with Deidara shuffling after them. Zetsu was nowhere to be seen.

'So why is she so important anyway? Why can't Itachi do it? He can control people's minds better than anyone, can't he?'

'_Because_, Kiri, this guy is immune to the Sharingan. Which you'd know if you'd have been listening last week…' Kakuzu summed up, obviously trying to kill their annoying conversation while he was busily adding up his profit from his recent bounty drop-off.

Kiri opened her mouth to throw back a sarcastic response, but a dark figure dressed mostly in black entered the room, silencing the group and immediately gaining their full attention.

His voice was deep and collected, as his head turned to scan the room briefly. 'It's time.'

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So a few things to note about this sequel, it's two years later, so Akira is 22, Deidara is 25. Kiri is 18, so they all think she's really just a kid... Please R&amp;R and let me know what you think :D


	2. Chapter 2 - Taken

Yooooo, I'm uploading chapter 2 tonight as well so that you have something to go off, since 1 chapter is pretty pathetic on it's own. Plus not much happens in that one. It starts to kick off in this one :D

Also, as I'm currently up to Chapter 7 in my prewriting, I can tell you now, there is a lot of tea-drinking and kettle useage in this fanfic :')

Enjoy x

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'Ow!' Akira hissed as she yanked her hand away from the whistling kettle to cradle it with the other.

'You really need to get that fixed… It's gonna seriously hurt you one day!' Haru called from the living room, knowing exactly what she'd done.

'That _did_ seriously hurt! And there's no point, it's not the kettle. There's something wrong with the wire that makes it shock me every time I pick the damn thing up… But I can't be bothered faffing about with the electrics!'

Haru chuckled as she hobbled into the room, sinking onto a freshly plumped cushion on the floor. Her head fell into her hands as she leaned on the table. 'I'm so tired I could sleep for weeks…'

The brown-haired shinobi pursed his lips, thinking for a moment. 'Why don't I stay with you tonight?' Then quickly added 'I'll sleep in here on the cushions, I mean… just in case you need anything!'

Sighing and too tired to argue, Akira nodded sluggishly and heaved herself up again and wandered into her room in search of some pyjamas. She rummaged through her drawers, opting to get changed in the bathroom just to be on the safe side.

Once changed, eager to make another attempt at sleeping, she flicked light off lazily and crawled under the duvet. She called goodnight to her friend and was asleep within seconds.

_I feel someone's breath on the back of my neck, and I whirl around to meet two, wicked yellow eyes and they're smirking at me. I try to move away but a cold metal presses against my throat. I try to scream out but there's nobody here to save me._

_And then I hear a voice… It's distant, but I hear it. He's calling my name and I run towards it, desperately racing through the dimly lit corridor trying in vain to find it…_

_Suddenly, I see him. I can see him at the end of the tunnel, one light blue eye smiling at me warmly, his other eye hidden by a long veil of blonde hair. I reach out to touch him, but he moves away from my grasp. His expression changes. He looks hurt. Did I do that? Did I do something wrong?_

_I start to back away and someone catches my arm. I spin around and there's a new face. Except, this one isn't a face… It's a mask. A bright, orange, swirling mask. The figure's shoulders are shaking, as though he's laughing light-heartedly. Then they begin to shake harder, the laughing getting stronger, meaner…_

'HARU!'

From his pile of cushions on the floor, Haru's eyes shot open and he began to scrabble to his feet at Akira's screaming. He raced into her room to find her cowering in the corner, quivering and terrified. He enveloped his arms around her and rocked her lightly, shushing her as he did so.

After a few minutes her shaking stopped and she lifted her head weakly, revealed a tear-streaked face. 'I'm sorry, Haru…'

'Don't be daft. It's alright I don't mind. He scruffled her fringe affectionately and helped her to her feet, watching her cautiously as she wobbled.

'Thank you, I'm alright now. Sorry I woke you…'

'Don't mention it. You know where I am.' He took one last concerned look into her crystal eyes before retreating back to the living room, closing the door lightly behind him.

Alone again, Akira snuggled herself further under the covers so only her eyes were left poking out at the top. She tried to close her eyes, but all she could see was that orange mask. The room was deathly quiet, with only her timid breathing to be heard, her nerves got the better of her and she hid the remainder of her face under her sheets. Seconds passed. Minutes. After a while, Haru's soft snoring managed to find it's way to her ears and she began to relax.

It was then that she was suddenly very aware that she was not alone in this room.

She sucked in her breath, listening hard. There was no sound of footsteps, no breathing, no floorboards creaking. Just silence, and that eerie feeling of another presence beside her. Squeezing her eyes tightly shut and still holding her breath, she peered over the edge of her covers, daring to do a quick scan of the room before sitting up slowly.

Her eyes landed on the door leading into the living room, and she tried to picture Haru just on the other side, sleeping peacefully and blissfully unaware of her terror.

'He seems nice.'

Her heart shot into her stomach as she jerked her head to face the window. In the darkness, she could just make out a dark, cloaked outline leaning casually against her wardrobe. The window had been opened and the curtains blew lightly in the night's breeze, briefly covering the figure.

Finally out of air, she gasped audibly before clamping her mouth tightly shut again. For a second she thought she was imagining it, until it spoke again.

'You're probably wondering who I am, yeah?' That voice. It seemed so familiar…

She managed a small nod, but other than that she barely moved an inch.

The figure chuckled softly. It wasn't a cruel laugh, it sounded rather sad. The shadow began to move, with cat-like grace and silence, it arrived at the end of her bed, and she scrunched her knees up to her chest nervously.

She risked a short glance at the door, debating whether or not she could make a run for it, but the figure only shook his head.

'I wouldn't…'

'W-who are you?' She managed to whimper pathetically. 'W-what do you want?'

She didn't think she was going to get a response, but finally, he spoke again. 'I need you to come with me. I won't hurt you, you just need to come quietly…'

From in the living room, Haru mumbled something incoherent and rolled over on a cushion.

The figure spoke again, more determinedly this time. 'Now.'

'I guess I don't have much choice, do I?'

Through the shadows, a hint of a smile played on the stranger's lips as he back away, gesturing for her to exit via the window. She raised an eyebrow suspiciously, she lived four blocks up…

Shuffling cautiously to the end of her bed, she peeped over the windowsill to see something large and white hovering outside. _How strange…_ Her eyebrows tilted slightly as she edged off the bed, keeping her eye on the figure the whole time. She swung her legs carefully out of the window, a sudden rush of air filling her lungs and whipping through her hair.

'I hate to press you but can you hurry,' She jumped as the voice came from much closer behind her than she would have liked, and half-jumped half-fell onto the white floating creature. She shuffled uncomfortably and turned to watch as the stranger stepped into the light, her eyes widening as he did.

Blue eyes locked with blue and her mouth fell open to form a small 'o' shape. The man stared back, watching her almost curiously as he positioned himself about half a meter away from her on, which she now realised, a giant bird made from what felt like clay.

'It's you…'

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Dum dum dummmmmm! :O R&amp;R guys! :D x


	3. Chapter 3 - Arrival

I'm on a roll with writing chapters at the mo, so figured I go right ahead and upload this one too.

3 chapters to start with, not bad eeeehhh? :D For me...

Enjoy :) x

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'It's you…'

The wind rippled through his blonde hair as he stared at her, incredulous. Their faces mirrored each other's surprise, and for moment neither of them moved, both as confused as the other.

A drunken shout from below broke them out of their trance and the floating bird was kicked into motion. Startled, Akira flooded chakra to her hands and feet as she clung to it's back, watching in fascination as it flapped it's giant wings hurriedly.

Akira kept her eyes fixed on her captor's back, curiosity swelling inside her, and she bit her lip to the point of drawing blood to keep from interrogating him. He didn't turn around for the entire journey, though she knew he'd be using every other one of his senses intensely to make sure she didn't try anything.

Finally, the bird began to make it's decent, and she took a moment to scan her new surroundings. It was still quite dark, the morning sun just beginning to make an appearance on the horizon, through the clouded sky. Everywhere she looked, as far as the eye could see there were trees, and she mentally scolded herself for not paying more attention to their route.

As the giant construct landed, she dropped to the ground a little too eagerly, her inquisitive nature getting the better of her. She walked a few small steps before stopping to glance over her shoulder.

The man had not dismounted, but remained crouched on the back of his flying machine, watching her intently. His expression, though mostly unreadable, looked almost disappointed.

'Erm…' She wasn't really sure what to say, so resorted to rubbing the back of her neck awkwardly as she turned to face him.

Her voice seemed to snap him out of it and he hopped onto the ground a few meters away from the green-haired girl. Tilting her head, she watched as he dismissed the bird in a cloud of thick, white smoke, and beckoned for her to follow him.

She did so hesitantly, pausing every now and again to pull her socks up as far as they would go in a futile attempt to keep warm. The sole's of her socks were soggy and dirty from walking through the wet grass without her shoes, and she scowled at the floor in discomfort.

What she didn't realise was that a few feet ahead of her, the stranger had stopped, and since she was busy concentrating on giving the floor a death stare, her head collided awkwardly with his back.

She stumbled backwards in surprise, just catching a glimpse of a smirk on his face as he started to move forward again. After that, she focused her best scowl on him.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, they arrived at a small mound of grass with a rotten wooden door almost propped against it. _Not exactly what you'd call discrete. A door in the middle of nowhere just screams hidden base…_ She grumbled mentally.

As if reading her mind, the man turned to wink at her and said, 'It's hidden with an invisible force-field that only we can enter.'

'Should I be impressed by that?' She grimaced at her sarcastic tone and hoped she hadn't over-stepped her boundaries. Luckily, the man just snickered slightly and mumbled something unintelligible, as he pulled the door open, gesturing for her to enter.

Inside it was almost as cold as outside, the only saving grace being the considerable lack of wind. There was a slight breeze that swished around her ankles making her damp socks that bit more unbearable.

They rounded a corner into a long, candlelit corridor, and Akira was suddenly struck with a strange sense of Déja vu. Her steps faltered as she realised to her horror, this was the place in her nightmare. Sensing her hesitation, the blonde slowed down to walk a few inches behind her, as if to keep her moving along.

At the end of the corridor, another figure was fast approaching. Akira sucked in her breath and her whole body tensed, suddenly feeling very vulnerable.

The new figure was also male. He was tall, with dulled green eyes poking out from his high, black collar that was pulled right up his face. He stopped in front of them, and the blonde greeted him calmly.

'Kakuzu.'

The man, Kakuzu, nodded once. 'Deidara. How was your journey?'

'It was… Interesting.' His visible blue eye flickered to Akira's as he spoke, a hint of a smirk tainting his features. 'Where to now then?'

'Stick her in the living room. I have to warn you though, Hidan's been _dying_ to see her…'

Something about the way he stressed the word 'dying' made Akira shift uncomfortably on the spot. She also resented the way they were speaking about her as though she wasn't even present, but she held her tongue. This man unnerved her to say the least, but as Deidara began to usher her further down the corridor past Kakuzu, she was sure she saw his green eyes crease slightly at the sides, resembling something close to a smile.

********** One hour later **********

'You can move, you know…' Deidara muttered, his eyes not leaving the TV. He was lazing on an uncomfortable-looking grey sofa in what they called the living room, flipping through several channels.

Akira, who had not moved from her perch on the edge of a black leather armchair, shuffled backwards ever so slightly.

Deidara rolled his eyes at her lack of effort. 'Fine, suit yourself, yeah.'

She let out a miserable sigh, and shifted her weight to tuck one leg beneath her on the chair so that she could lean on the arm easier. Despite this, she still looked incredibly out-of-place.

It was then that she began to notice a horrific stench of blood approaching, accompanied by a freaky sort of scraping sound getting closer by the second. She pinched her nose instinctively, and heard the blonde mumble something like 'oh great, here we go…'

The first thing she saw was his great, three-pronged scythe, dripping red and trailing the floor noisily. Unable to contain her disgust, she jumped up and switched seats to one further away, earning a chuckle from Deidara.

'WOAH, long time no fucking see! How's it hanging, bitch?'

'HIDAN.' Another voice. _How many of these people are there?!_ This guy was a strange one. He was blue. 'Shut your stupid, bloody mouth and go clean yourself up. Idiot.'

'Well fuck, someone got up on the wrong side of the damn bed today…'

Hidan, covered from head to toe in the same sticky red liquid as is weapon, made to leave, but the blue skinned one shouted after him, 'And do it in the shower this time, not the kitchen sink! Fool.' He regarded Akira carefully, but after exchanging glances with Deidara, ignored her and sat down. 'So what we watching?'

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Oh do I have plans for this story... :P I still love to hear your suggestions though, so please let me know if you think of anything or if you don't like something. Flame friendly, R&amp;R! :D


	4. Chapter 4 - Adjusting

Another chaptaaarrr. Please review people, I need inspiration! I hope I'm doing okay so far...

Cake for anyone who reviews. Cake for anyone who reads this far actually... :')

Thanks! ;D

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Hidan returned shortly, much to Akira's embarrassment, half naked.

'For God's sake, Hidan!' Kisame, the blue man's name as she had learned, threw his hands up in dismay.

'What the fuck is wrong now? _She'_s not exactly fully dressed either and I don't see you moaning at her!'

It was only then that it dawned on her that she still had her strappy pyjama top paired with knee-length cotton shorts on. Her cheeks flushed bright red and she hugged her knees tightly to her chest in a futile attempt at covering herself up.

'Here.' A ripped, patchy blanket was thrown at her from the doorway and she pulled it over herself quickly. 'So, this is the famous 'Akira' then, huh?' The girl in the doorway, who had provided the blanket, skimmed her eyes over the green-haired newcomer. Other members had now arrived including one named Itachi, who was sitting silently in the corner, a purple haired woman who had offered Akira a warm smile as she entered, and Kakuzu.

'Yep. The one and only.' Kisame grinned.

'She doesn't look like much…' Kiri sneered, and Akira couldn't help but feel left out of the loop here.

The members continued to talk as though she wasn't in the room, not even sparing a second glance at her. She fiddled with the edge of her blanket awkwardly, wishing with all her might that she knew what was going on.

_They obviously know me… But how? Damn my stupid ability. Why would I want to forget? Did they make me forget? I don't understand…_

Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt the other end of the couch dip as someone sat down. She cocked her head to the side to see Hidan staring at her and she raised an eyebrow inquisitively.

'So, you don't remember a single thing? Fuck me…'

_No thank you…_

'Actually…' All eyes landed on the blonde. 'Something you said earlier… What did you mean, 'it's me'?'

Now it was Akira they were all watching. She gulped and opened her mouth to speak, but her mouth was so dry her voice came out as barely a whisper.

'What was that? Speak up, woman!' Hidan's harsh voice cut her off.

She cleared her throat and tried again. 'I said, I dreamt about you…'

Nobody spoke, until Itachi broke the silence. 'Fascinating…'

'So technically, your ability isn't all that good if you still sort of remember?' Kiri tutted. She seemed like the type to be the first to belittle people that she felt were 'lower' than her own social status.

'Well I don't really remember… I just, erm… Well I have this dream that keeps coming back to me. A nightmare really.'

'HA, yeah that sounds more fucking like it.'

'What happens?' Even Kakuzu seemed interested now.

'Well…' She explained it as best she could. When she finished her tale, the Akatsuki exchanged several knowing glances, which only proved to irritate her more. Her eyebrows knitted together as she plucked up the courage to question them. 'Is anyone going to fill me in? Why am I here?'

'I can tell you right now if you want.'

Her ears pricked at this and she turned to see Itachi walking in her direction. He knelt down in front of her, eyes swirling red as he reached to secure her face. She started to squirm, a natural reaction as panic began to rise in her throat.

'Don't struggle. Do you want to know or not?'

She bit her lip and stopped moving, allowing the sudden darkness to consume her. She was vaguely aware of someone catch her as she slumped, and felt herself being lifted up and carried off somewhere into the drafty corridor.

********** Later that day **********

Her head felt groggy. She blinked several times as she moved to prop herself up on her elbows, taking in as much detail as possible. She sat up a little too quickly and had to squeeze her eyes shut at the head rush she gave herself. She was in a bedroom, she noted from the wardrobe and chest of drawers. It had a stone floor and ceiling, with dull beige walls and a narrow wooden door.

She wandered out into the corridor, her now bare feet padding quietly against the cold, hard floor. She wasn't sure how she knew where she was going, all she knew was that she was hungry and that the kitchen was somewhere nearby. Her feet led the way, never once faltering as if tracing a route they had taken a million times.

When she arrived in the correct room, she began to root through the cupboards, briefly noting that she seemed to know exactly which cupboards had what in.

She found a large bag of potato chips, and she hoisted herself onto the worktop to sit and eat them. Footsteps sounded in the corridor, but she didn't seem too bothered by them, and continued to finish off her snack.

Stuffing the empty bag into the bin as she left the room, she wandered into the living room and settled herself down on the cream coloured couch, scrunching her legs up as she flipped the TV on. The room was currently empty, so she figured everyone must be out on missions or not up yet. She glanced at a crookedly hanging clock on the opposite wall. It was only 7:30, she wouldn't be seeing many of the Akatsuki until at least half 10, and even that was early for them…

She suddenly froze in her seat, realisation dawning on her as she went back through her thought process.

_The Akatsuki… I was here… But that was... Two years ago…I forgot, my memories were erased! By me… Because of…_ 'Oh my God…'

'It takes a while for your timeline to readjust.' Itachi was hovering in the doorway, watching her cautiously. 'Don't worry, it'll come back to you.'

She stared at him blankly. His faced creased into the tiniest frown, and he moved to get a better look into her eyes while his, she noticed, remained black.

'Can you tell me your name?'

'A-Akira… Haiyuka.'

'Hmm. How is your head?'

'Confused.' She pouted slightly. 'Where are the others? And Haru…'

'Haru?'

She shook her head as if rethinking something in her mind. 'No, he's not here. He's my friend, he'll be wondering where I went… It was two nights ago!'

'You're still adjusting. You'll be fine.' He decided, patting her lightly on the head. He turned on his heel and headed back the way he'd come, pausing in the doorway. 'Just a warning, Hidan's on his way.'

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Ahhhhh so, I just wanna let you know I'm planning more interaction with the whole of the Akatsuki, since they all kinda grew to like her in 'Erase Me' so I wanna make that obvious in this one. But fear not, it shall stay as a DeiXOC fic. :)

Flame me, guys!


	5. Chapter 5 - Rekindling

Greetings readers of Earth.

Nice to see you're still with me, I love writing Hidan, he's just hilarious and you gotta love him!

I just wanna point out I haven't forgotten Tobi/Obito, and I do have plans for him later on, but not for a while yet. Other things have yet to unfold! Hope you're liking this so far.

Feel free to review :)

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Of course, Hidan was only confusing her more. He had found himself a new game, in which he'd tell her things that were, obviously, completely untrue.

'Yeah, and we're not allowed to shower anymore, cause instead of running water, it's fucking blood that comes out the taps!'

'That is ridiculous.' Akira rolled her eyes.

'No, really it's fucking true!'

'Just because you hate showers doesn't mean no one should have one!' She stuck her tongue out childishly, only encouraging him more.

'It's not just the showers. The bathroom sink does it sometimes too! IT'S BLOODY GLORIOUS!'

'Oh shut up, Hidan. Don't listen to him, Akira. He's been bored out of his mind here without you to pester.' Konan smiled prettily at Akira, as she waiting patiently for the kettle to boil. 'How are you coping with it all?'

'I don't know yet.' Akira sighed. She was finding it difficult to battle her emotions since, she sort of felt like it was only yesterday that the events of their last mission had unfolded. 'I guess I'm alright. What have I missed?'

Konan laughed, 'not much. Kiri's new, she's a bit of a short fuse but you'll get used to her. Hidan already hates her but that's not unusual.'

'You think you've had nightmares, wait till you meet this bitch properly.' Hidan scoffed before helping himself to an over-filled bowl of cereal.

Konan looked like she wanted to comment further on the red head, but she changed the subject and poured out some tea. 'You can have your old room back! We had plans for extra members but two died in battle and one was just useless so we had Itachi dispose of him–'

'Woah, woah, wait! Who said anything about me staying…' Konan seemed slightly taken aback by this.

'Oh. Well, we sort of assumed that you'd want to… Do you not?'

'I haven't even thought about it. Won't things be a little… Awkward?' She tilted her head hoping Konan would catch her train of thought. She had yet to encounter a certain blue eyed, blonde-haired member since her memory had returned, and she wasn't looking forward to when she did.

'I hope not. It'd be nice to have you back around.' Konan offered her long-lost friend a small smile, before standing up to leave. 'I guess I should keep the leader updated.'

'Oh, how is Pein? I haven't seen him yet!'

Hidan spluttered on a mouthful of cereal and Konan winced at the scene. 'I thought you'd have heard…'

'What? Heard what…' Akira got the feeling she wasn't going to like what came next.

'He's dead, Akira. He died saving the Hidden Leaf…' She looked away sadly. 'I thought you'd have heard about that.'

'No… I hadn't…' A pang of guilt shot through her at making Konan look so sad. 'I'm so sorry.'

Putting on a brave face, the purple-haired woman smiled lightly, 'don't worry. It was at least a year ago.'

A wave of sadness rippled through her as she watched Konan leave. What else had she missed? She fell into silence as she tried to mentally organise her 'timeline' as Itachi had called it. However, it was proving difficult since Hidan was chomping and slurping noisily and occasionally stopping to glug from the bottle of milk he had snatched from the fridge.

Sighing, she stood up muttering something about being in the training room. She walked solemnly to the ring. She had kept up her taijutsu practice, Haru had helped her a lot over the previous summer, since most of the missions were mere C and D ranks, which he avoided as much as possible.

She missed Haru. She wondered vaguely if he was worried about her. _Who am I kidding, he'll be out of his mind thinking the worst. That's Haru all over… Poor Haru._

'Hey.'

She looked up. She hadn't noticed him approach. 'Hey…'

He sighed and nodded his head in the direction she'd been walking, his blue eyes shadowed in the dim light so she couldn't read his expression. They began to walk together quietly, both apparently lost in thought.

They arrived at the training ring, and she let her eyes scan the empty room. It hadn't changed in the slightest. 'Deidara?'

'Hmm?'

'Why did you bring me here? Really? There's obviously a reason…'

He frowned, as if debating whether or not to tell her. But she countered herself before he could respond.

'You know what, nevermind. If I know the Akatsuki, and I'm pretty sure I used to,' she grinned at that, 'then I'll find out soon enough.'

He mirrored her grin and strolled cockily to the opposite side of the ring. 'You been practicing much?'

'Is that a challenge?' Akira raised an eyebrow playfully, then on remembering something, pouted. 'I don't have my whistle.'

'Thank God for that, yeah.' He laughed, remembering their first ever spar. 'Strictly taijutsu. No clay, no freaky music thing. Deal?'

'Alright deal!' She charged forward, pulling back her fist as she ran.

********* Elsewhere **********

'It's them, I'm sure of it! She's been having these dreams–'

'Alright, slow down, Haru. We don't even know for sure that she's been taken, she could have just up and left. People do that, you know!' The Mizukage sighed, twirling a piece of long auburn hair around her finger.

'But not _her_! She wouldn't do that, she was scared. Really scared! We have to send a search party out for her, I'm _positive_ that they have something to do with it!'

The boy was persistent, Mei could give him that. Though Haru wasn't usually one for imagining things, and from her experience, his theories usually weren't far from the truth.

She sighed again, this time in defeat. 'Alright, Haru. Tell us about this dream. We'll gather a squad first thing in the morning.'

* * *

I want to make Haru a likeable character, he's a stubborn and over-protective but he very loyal.

Let me know what you think of him and drop me any ideas you guys have :) x


	6. Chapter 6 - The Real Reason

I'm actually pretty gutted no one's reviewed this yet, which makes me think it's terrible... :(

There's a bit of fluff in this chapter at the beginning, but the real reason she's been brought here is revealed too.

OH and also, I don't own Naruto or any of it's characters, only Akira, Kiri and Haru... And any other OCs that crop up in this little tale :)

On with the show...

* * *

It felt strange, seeing her again after all this time. Two years. Two whole years without even the slightest glimpse of each other, and now here they were sat casually eating breakfast together, as though no time had passed. In a way it unnerved him. All that wasted time spent trying to forget the way her sapphire eyes glinted in the sunlight, and how she twirled her loose strands of hair around her finger when she was thinking.

He found himself watching her, just like old times, as she obliviously tried to scoop the last remnants of milk from her almost-empty cereal bowl with her spoon. He suppressed an amused smirk as she sighed in defeat, moving to rinse it out in the sink.

Across the table sat Kiri, being suspiciously and uncharacteristically quiet. She sat hunched over her coffee, with both hands cupped around the mug in an attempt to keep warm.

Sensing another presence, Deidara looked up just in time to see Kisame stroll tiredly through the kitchen doorway, pausing beside Akira to reach around her and flick the kettle on. He set about preparing some toast, but the green-haired girl stopped him.

'Here, I'll make it. I was going to have some myself,' She smiled at the shark man and he grinned in response.

'Taking up your house-keeping role again eh, Greeny?'

'No,' She put her hands on her hips mockingly and turned to watch him slump into a chair at the table. 'I was just being nice, actually. I do that sometimes!'

Before Kisame could respond, Kiri scoffed loudly, and the three glanced at her in slight surprise.

'Something wrong, shorty?' Kisame pressed when the red head offered no explanation.

'Nope. Nothing at all.' She stood up abruptly, scraping her chair across the floor noisily as she made to leave the room.

'…Well that was weird.' The blonde looked back to Akira, who was staring at the doorway with puzzled expression. 'I think Konan has a mission for you by the way, yeah.'

That shocked her. 'For me? What? W-why?'

He smirked. 'Well, you did ask why you were brought here again.'

'Deidara…' Kisame threw him a warning look.

'Relax, I haven't told her anything. Leader's orders and whatever, yeah.'

As the pair broke into a half-hearted conversation about trivial changes to their routines, abandoning the burning toast, Akira wandered off further into the base in search of her purple-haired friend. On her way she bumped into Itachi, who seemed to be heading in the same direction.

'Morning,' She greeted him pleasantly, smiling when he nodded in response. He fell into step beside her silently, before she could no longer contain her curiosity. 'Where are you heading?'

'To find Konan, she wants to talk to me about something.'

'Oh, me too, I was going to check in Pei- I mean, the leaders office…' She made a mental note to enquire about the new leader later on. It was strange that she hadn't seen or heard from him or her yet.

'She won't be in there.' Itachi's black eyes flicked down to meet Akira's.

'Oh?' She frowned, confused.

'She'll be in her room.' His lips twitched into a small sympathetic smile, but it disappeared as quickly as it had come.

Despite her unease after the unusual display of emotion from the Uchiha, she continued down the hallway, awkwardly trying to match his pace.

They arrived a few minutes later, and she tapped lightly on the door. 'Konan?'

It took a moment, but surely enough the door creaked open, revealing a weary-looking Konan, her pretty hair messy and falling out of its bun. Her rose was absent, and her makeup slightly smudged, as though she had been crying.

Concern rising in her throat, Akira offered her a weak smile. 'Erm, did you want to see us?'

'Ah yes, sorry!' Bursting into life as though someone had just switched the lights on upstairs, she swung her door open the rest of the way and ushered them in.

It suddenly dawned on Akira that she had never actually seen the interior of her friends' room. It was larger than the others, with just enough room to fit a small desk and chair in the corner, beside a much larger double bed than she should have needed.

Konan perched on the end of her bed while gesturing for them to take a seat and pouting slightly when Itachi opted to stand.

'Well I think you already know what this is about.' She was talking to Itachi at this point, since Akira was still completely in the dark. He dipped his head in agreement and she continued. 'Don't look so worried, Akira. It's nothing you can't handle. It should actually be quite easy for you.'

Reaching up to tug on a loose lock of teal hair, she shuffled in her seat in an attempt at looking more relaxed, though it didn't work.

'You see, we erm, have this prisoner…'

_Oh. Didn't see that one coming. I didn't even know they had a prison here!_

'He's… Well to put it bluntly he's refusing to cooperate and we think, no, we _know_ he has some vital information about the whereabouts of the ten tails husk.'

The mere mention of the creature sent shivers down Akira's spine as she recalled the first time she had heard about that. That thing could only ever be associated with trouble.

'So you want me to look into his mind and…'

'Exactly.' Konan smiled, clearly pleased that she'd caught on so fast.

Then something struck her. 'But why can't Itachi do it?' She tilted her head to question him. 'Don't you have the ability to enter people's minds too?'

'It's not as simple as that, but in a way yes.' When his vague response failed to answer her question, Konan jumped back in.

'This prisoner is immune. To the Sharingan.'

Akira blinked at her. 'Is that even possible?'

'Apparently.' It was only now that she noticed the slightly bitter expression on the Uchiha's face, and she had to bite her lip to hide her amusement.

'He's an old experiment of a certain ex-member I believe you had the misfortune to meet once in the past…'

_Orochimaru_.

The idea of being able to have a rummage around in someone's mind that had been so close to that vulgar snake scared her, yes, but she was also strangely eager. 'Alright. When do I begin?'

* * *

My Microsoft Word doesn't seem to be converting the italics when putting it into doc manager so if there's any random first person that I've missed, it should be in thought.

See you next chapter!


	7. Chapter 7 - Jealousy

**Got a bit more fluff coming your way in this chapter, I'm spreading the love... and jealousy!**

**I want to add a few light-humoured chapters too to keep the story interesting, so any suggestions for scenes are welcome ^.^**

**Peace out!**

* * *

'I'm so. Fucking. Hungry.'

'Shut up, Hidan. You're always hungry.' Kiri scowled, her amber eyes narrowing when he continued to complain.

'I'll bet he eats more in a day than the whole of Japan in a week!' Akira chuckled, thought Kiri did her best to ignore her joke. As if on queue, his stomach took this opportunity to growl angrily.

'Well fuck. See what you're doing to me, woman?!'

Rolling her eyes, Akira snuggled further into the couch. The outside frost had somehow managed to creep deep into the hideout, and she shivered lightly as she pulled a blanket further under her chin.

'It's not that bloody cold…' Hidan muttered as he glowered at her. He was sat next to her on her favourite, scruffy cream sofa, and had been trying and failing to convince her to cook him something all morning.

'It's alright for you guys with your big thick winter cloaks. I don't even have any proper clothes!' She pouted childishly.

'Oh for the love of Jashin!' Hidan leapt up abruptly, ripping his cloak off to reveal his bare chest and plain black ninja pants. He flung it roughly over Akira, while giving her his best death glare. From across the room, Kiri stared, bewildered. _Did Hidan just do something nice?_

'Happy now?!'

Akira raised an eyebrow suspiciously. 'I'm still not making any food…'

'Yeah yeah.' He flopped back onto the couch, plumping the cushions slightly before flicking the TV on.

She stayed quiet for a moment, as if waiting for him to change his mind and tear it back from her, but he didn't. 'Thanks, Hidan.' Her voice was quiet with traces of a smile clinging to her words, and although he didn't respond, she knew he heard her.

********** Two hours later **********

Kiri was pissed. She kept her eyes fixed on the TV, but she hadn't a clue what was on since she was far too busy glaring at the scene in the corner of her eye. Hidan was never nice for no reason. He had to be up to something. _Surely_.

He was the type to go out and bite your head off for accidentally nudging his elbow while out in a crowd, or viciously sacrifice you to his crazy bloody thirsty God because you tripped and got in his way.

And yet, here he was, allowing this… this _outsider_ to _sleep_ on his _shoulder_. She had drifted off shortly after his random act of apparent kindness, and not so long after that, her head had found its way to his arm.

She had been sure that is was Deidara who had some sort of history with her, not Hidan of all people… _Surely not?_

Her thoughts were interrupted as said blonde wandered into the room. She watched him curiously as his eyes landed on the resting pair. He didn't seem too bothered, but the corners of his mouth did turn up into a smirk.

Hidan tried to cross his arms awkwardly. 'Get this thing off me, would ya? I've lost all the damn feeling in my frickin' arm.'

Deidara scoffed. 'You know she gets tired when she's warm, yeah. Do it yourself!'

He didn't seem jealous in the slightest. Kiri stared harder, but if anything he just seemed to find it amusing.

Irritated, Hidan began to grumble to himself. 'I'm fucking starving and my fucking arm is dead and–'

'HEY, AKIRA, WAKE UP ALREADY!'

Akira, Hidan and Deidara jumped simultaneously in surprise. Kiri gave them her sweetest smile, secretly thrilled that her outburst had broken the tranquillity.

'W-what? What happened?' Still coming around, Akira groaned and stretched out, only then realising where she'd been sleeping. Her cheeks tinged pink as she sprung up, Hidan's cloak tumbling to the floor in a heap. 'S-sorry! Food. I'll make food.' She made a quick getaway and practically ran for the kitchen.

From the safety of the next room, she could hear Deidara and Hidan as they whined about Kiri's eruption.

Akira frowned as she began to prepare a loosely thought-out meal. _Kiri really doesn't seem to like me… Maybe she just doesn't trust me, after all we've never really spoken properly… _Trying to remain positive, Akira decided that with time and a bit of encouragement, she'd settle down.

Humming subconsciously as she worked, she listened half-heartedly as footsteps sounded in the hall, slowly approaching the kitchen.

Glancing over her shoulder, she found Kiri leaning casually against the doorframe, a strange, distant expression on her face.

'Oh, Kiri. Can I get you something?' She tried to make her smile genuine, but something about the way girl's amber eyes glazed as she spoke unnerved her.

'It won't work on me.'

Akira put down the knife she'd been chopping with and met the red head's gaze. She tilted her head slightly, trying to guess what she meant. 'Erm, I don't know what–'

'Don't play cute with me. It won't work.' She laughed once, humourlessly. When Akira's face remained in the same state of confusion, she rolled her eyes and continued. 'You may have the Akatsuki fooled, wrapped around your little finger, but I know you're up to something. I don't know what yet, but I'm warning you, back off. Because I _will_ find out.'

And with that, she spun on her heel and stalked off into the corridor, leaving an open-mouthed Akira staring after her.

********** Elsewhere **********

'She's close… I can sense it. They came this way. The feeling is faint, but it's definitely there.'

'How close?'

'I'd say within a five mile radius…'

'Okay. What's that plan, Hotaka?'

'We split up. Haru, you go with Daisuke and Jana, search northwest. There's a small town somewhere around there. I'll go with Dara and Fin southeast. Meet back here in 6 hours.'

'Yes, captain!'

The group leapt apart, chakra outstretched and searching. Haru took up the rear of his trio, scanning every tree, every leaf, every morsel of land for any indication of her passing through. He didn't care what anyone said. She had been his best friend for the best part of the past two years, and he was not about to give up on her this easily.

* * *

**Yeahhhhhh it's all about it kick off, tension is rising around the base :O**

**Next chapter will be a bit of what happened in the two years with the Akatsuki, and something may or may not happen to the Mist team... :G**

**Till then, farewell!**


	8. Chapter 8 - Thinking Spot

**A/N: The plot around Kiri starts to unfold slightly in this chapter, more DeiXOC here too... that's all I have to say really :)**

* * *

'Haru, straight ahead!' He heard Daisuke call back to him, and he squinted in the distance at a small clearing. Someone was there. A girl, her bright red hair shimmering in the sunbeams that poked through the trees. She had seen them, amber eyes fixed on their fast approaching figures. As they drew nearer they could see she was wearing simple black ninja attire, her headband symbol hidden as her top hung loosely over it around her waist.

They dropped from the trees and landed a few feet away from her, Haru leading the way holding his hands out slightly to show they meant no harm.

'Hey, maybe you can help us. You live round here?'

'You could say that.' She shifted her weight to lean casually on one leg. She flipped her scarlet fringe to the side, placing one hand on her hip cockily.

'We're looking for someone. A girl, 22, around 5'3, teal hair, blue eyes… She has a tiny scar under her left eyebrow and–'

'Yeah, alright she gets it.' Jana silenced him before he got carried away.

The redhead was smirking. The trio exchanged nervous glances as she pretended to inspect her nails, seemingly uninterested. 'What's so special about her that a whole team of search ninja from the Hidden Mist would be sent out to find her?'

Haru mentally grimaced. She was observant, possibly dangerous, and they were being careless. 'Have you seen her?'

'I might have. What's in it for me?'

_Bargaining over petty information?! _'You have the satisfaction of aiding three worried friends and our eternal gratitude.'

'Nice try. Who is she?'

'Come on, Haru, we're getting nowhere here.' Daisuke started to move away, but the girl halted them.

'Hold on a sec. We may be able to help each other out…' Small droplets of water began to dribble through the trees and plop around them in the long grass. The wind picked up, and the group turned their attention to the unusually rapidly changing weather.

Tugging her lilac hood over her head, Jana noticed a strange glowing from the corner of her eye. She followed the light just in time to see the strangers' eyes glowing a brilliant golden colour. She stumbled backwards, her arm reaching back to her friends, mumbling their names to attract their attention.

Several flashes of white flared overheard, followed by a loud crash of thunder, and everything went black.

********** At the base **********

Akira was confused. She didn't understand what had gotten Kiri so angry with her. _I don't _think_ I have an ulterior motive…_ She had tried to shake the miserable feeling several times that day, but nothing seemed to work. She just kept arriving at the same image of Kiri's angry face when she told her 'she knew she was up to something'.

She decided to concentrate on the task Konan had discussed with her. It would start tonight at 6pm, in their torture chamber, which was apparently why Akira was previously unaware of it. They said she was too faint-hearted, to which she had scowled and told them she could cope with a bit of violence. She had lied. She hated it.

She was sat in the training room, hoping no one would find her as she attempted to arrange her muddled mind, but Deidara knew her too well.

'Hey,' he mumbled as he settled himself onto the bench next to her nudging her lightly as he did so. 'Why'd you disappear like that, yeah?'

'I was just thinking…'

'Konan fill you in on your mission, hmm?'

'Yep.'

'And?'

'And what?'

'Are you gonna do it?'

'Of course I am.' She frowned at the bomber who was watching her strangely. 'Why wouldn't I?'

'Well I figured since you used to come here to do your 'thinking' when something bothered you, maybe you didn't wanna do it, yeah.'

She sighed and raised her eyes to meet his concerned gaze, reaching for a piece of her loose hair to tug at as she did. 'It's not that, I just have a lot on my mind these days… I'm sure you know what I mean.'

He 'hmm'ed and began to poke at the rough ground with a stick, drawing meaningless swirls. She watched, oddly fascinated. After a minute, he spoke again, his voice soft but guarded. 'Where did you go?'

'Nowhere… I came straight here.'

'No I mean… two years ago… after, you know…'

'Oh.' She grimaced at the mention of two years ago and released the teal strand she'd been twisting. 'Erm, I just sort of, wandered for a bit. I had no idea where I was or what had happened. Some ninja eventually found me by the West border of the Land of Fire.'

'Leaf ninja?'

'No, Mist. That's how I ended up there, they'd been heading back from a mission and they just sort of, adopted me, I suppose.' She smiled fondly, thinking back to how Haru and his team had fussed and squabbled over what to do with her. 'The Mizukage was suspicious at first, so had a few Jounin keep an eye on me, but it was pretty obvious that I had no recollection of what had gone on, so they let me stay.'

'I see.'

'What about you? What happened here?' She almost didn't want to know the answer, but she also didn't want to avoid the question any longer.

His expression changed oddly, to one she did not entirely recognise on Deidara's face. He looked almost ashamed. 'Nothing really. There wasn't much to do. The mission was over and Orochimaru was gone… Hidan was pretty pissed he had no one fun left to annoy, yeah. His constant complaining was the main reason they started hiring new members.' He chuckled softly, keeping his story light-hearted. 'Then they found Kiri, or rather, she found us, yeah.'

'Oh really?'

'Yeah, she was a right little spitfire, wouldn't take no for an answer. Pein had no choice but to accept her!' Akira could tell he was holding back on something, she just couldn't decide what on.

'How old is she anyway? What's her 'specialty'?'

'She's 18 now.' There was that expression again. 'She can 'call' the weather, yeah. It's pretty freaky actually; you wouldn't think someone so little could muster that much power. It's the lightning that you wanna watch out for though, knocks you out like a light bulb…'

'Heh, sounds explosive…' She winked, playfully.

He grinned, his attention sparking at the mention of his artistic destruction. 'Believe me, it is!'

Akira laughed and rolled her eyes at his predictable response, as she started to get to her feet. 'Come on, I'd better go find this torture chamber.' Her expression sobering as she spoke.

* * *

A/N: Dum dum dummmm, whats he hiding? You'll have to wait and see! :O

See you in the next chapter! Rate and review guys, losing inspiration here... :( Hope it's going okay!


	9. Chapter 9 - The Prisoner

A/N: Hi, so I'm discontinuing (possibly temporarily) this version of the sequel as it is being rewritten under the same title but in a different story. Please go check that out and let me know what you think.

The only reason I'm restarting this story is because there have been hardly any reviews and if the other one has the same lack of interest then I'll probably discontinue it altogether :/

I have copied some paragraphs and scenes from this in my revised version where it fits the story, but the arc is completely different.

Check it out. Still disclaiming.

* * *

The torture chamber was true to its name. It consisted mainly of one long hallway with stonewall dividers built to separate each piece of 'equipment', ranging from restraint racks to cages of scuttling red-eyed, mutant rats. There was an overpowering stench of rotting flesh that was so strong it stung Akira's eyes and numbed almost all her senses. It amazed her how unnoticeable this atmosphere was around the rest of the base. Gritting her teeth, her breathing shallowed as she fought the urge to gasp and desperately resisted the need to clamp her fingers over her nose.

Seeing right through her attempted brave façade, Deidara gently brushed his shoulder against hers reassuringly as they followed Itachi and Kisame down the seemingly endless corridor, which led to the occupied prison cells. Her eyes flickered briefly in his direction but she was far to busy holding her breath to respond.

'Don't worry, it's not as bad in the cells.' Kisame muttered making it apparent that Deidara wasn't the only one to see through her act. She managed a small nod.

Finally, they arrived at an arched metal door, which Itachi had to unlock in several places and perform a complicated looking hand sign before it could be hauled open. As Kisame had promised, it was much easier to breathe on the other side, and Akira couldn't help but release a sigh of relief.

They stopped outside the first cell. The bars across the viewing window were old and rusted, but the faint blue glow around the edges confirmed that the unit was built to withstand heavy chakra blows.

Itachi withdrew an equally rustic looking set of keys from his pocket, and selected the longer, thicker key of the bunch. It clunked inside the keyhole as he fiddled with the lock, having to reinsert it once or twice, its rust evidentially making it difficult to open.

Finally, it clicked. The door creaked open, revealing a withered middle-aged man, heavily bruised and covered in dark splotches of dried blood.

The wary glances at her from Deidara and Kisame did not go unseen, and she huffed impatiently as they stepped aside to let her pass. She paused about a foot from the prisoner, taking a moment to examine his condition. It was pretty poor, to say the least.

'We're going to lock the door behind you. He shouldn't be too much trouble. If you need us, we'll be right outside.' Itachi placed a supportive hand on her shoulder for a split-second, before turning to leave her alone. She waited until the sound of the lock clicking shut sounded, before she knelt down slowly in front of him.

'Okay…' She started, more to herself as she exhaled slowly. 'Can you tell me your name?'

The man stared at her, his expression vacant through his glazed eyes.

'I'm not going to hurt you, I just want to know your name.'

The man spat viciously at her feet, making her flinch. 'S…Screw y-you…' He spluttered, before breaking into a violent coughing fit.

She rocked back on her heels, still crouching before him. She didn't just want to dive straight into his mind, it didn't seem right. Then again, since when did anything the Akatsuki did seem right?

'I'll ask you once more.' She pinched his chin in her hand and a little too gently tugged his face up to meet hers. 'What is your name?'

The man regarded her cautiously. His eyes bore into her own, deep and searching, as though viewing her entire life in that one second. Eventually, he answered. 'Kota. My n-name… is Kota.'

His breath was hot and stale on her face, sending shivers down her spine and making her want to gag.

'Kota. My name is Akira.'

'It's no use, you know.' He paused to give another, whooping cough, his bloodshot eyes wide and bulging. 'I'll never speak, I vowed… I would n-never speak of that… that place again…'

'What if I'm not here to speak to you?' She tried to keep the hostility out of her voice. The man was clearly traumatised. She remembered briefly that Konan had mentioned this guy was 'an old experiment' and, though she wasn't certain, she had a pretty good idea that this 'place' Kota was referring to was Orochimaru's hideout.

'Don't you… think they've t-tried that? L-look at me. I'll never speak…'

'Kota, I'm not here to torture you. I just want to know what you know. I'm just going to have a look…' She began to lift her arms up to steady the man's face, her fingers outstretched in advance.

He suddenly burst into a fit of hysterical laughter, startling her so much that she almost lost her balance.

'You… want to see… the thing's I've seen, nooooo…' His eyes glinted wildly, no longer seeing her before him, but staring right through her. 'You… girl… can not even imagine the things… that I have seen…'

Suddenly, he lunged for her. She yelped in surprise and stumbled backwards as his hands clamped tightly around her throat.

Despite his condition, he pinned her easily to the hard stone floor, laughing crazily as he wheezed. She scrabbled desperately against him but he was strangely heavy for such a scrawny man.

'Akira!'

'Damn it, Itachi, open the door!'

'Shut up, I'm trying!'

Over the blood rushing through her ears, she could vaguely hear the door rattling urgently as the Akatsuki struggled with its awkward lock, and the sound of frantic shouts from behind it.

Her lungs burned as she gasped for air, her futile thrashing slowing as the man leaned down further, his weight crushing her. Salty tears began to cloud her eyes, mingled with strange dark spots that had begun to form in her vision.

After what seemed like a lifetime, the hands were torn away from her neck and she felt herself being half dragged and half carried into the corridor.

She could hear muffled voices talking, though despite her best efforts she couldn't understand what they were saying. She blinked several times as she tried to focus on the blurry figures that crowded her, but her ragged breathing continued to demand her full attention. Squeezing her eyes shut, she ignored everything and just tried to breathe.

In. Out. In. Out. Slowly. Slowly…

When her breathing eventually began to steady, she gradually started to will her eyes open. At first, the light was blinding. The ringing in her ears was starting to subside, and as she continued to focus her vision on the hazy outlines before her, she listened.

'Give her some space already!' Kisame's gruff voice echoed in her ears, until a sharp tone from Deidara cut it off.

'Shut up, she's coming round…'

'Move.' That was Itachi. Cool fingertips were pressed lightly against her temples, and she twitched uncomfortably at the contact. 'She'll be alright. Kisame, get her some water.'

She found herself waiting for Deidara to speak again. She wanted to hear his voice, to know he was still there. She reached out blindly, mumbling his name incoherently as she did. A hand clasped gently around hers, and she forced a tiny shadow of a smile when she traced the outline of a mouth in its palm.

* * *

I'm only going to be uploading up to chapter 17 in this version by the way, which is where I'd prewritten up to.


	10. Chapter 10 - Shopping Trip

A/N – I wanted to lighten the mood in this chapter, there's been a lot of serious and depressing scenes so far.

So I thought I'd spruce it up a bit. Besides, everyone loves a bit of shopping with the Akatsuki…

Right?

* * *

'God, it feels so nice to actually breathe some fresh air for once!' Akira tilted her head backwards, stretching her arms out on either side of her exaggeratedly. She let her eyelids slide shut slightly as she basked in the bright, but clouded daylight.

'Come on, weirdo.' Deidara sauntered past, flicking her lightly on the back of the head as she did.

'Aw, you're no fun.' She giggled, skipping after him happily. 'Come on, Hidan, Kakuzu, or we'll leave you behind!'

'Please do…' Kakuzu grumbled from behind his collar, purposely pulled up extra high today.

'I don't see why women get so fucking excited about shopping. All you do is walk round and look at stuff…' Hidan muttered, but it was obvious that his mood had improved upon leaving the base.

The boys had been shuffled into escorting their green-haired member to the nearby village, by the orders of their second-in-command, Konan. She had finally decided that it had been too long since Akira had had some of her own clothes, rather than borrowing hand-me-downs from herself and, when forced, from Kiri.

Hidan had been sent out to simply provide some relief to the base from his endless moaning of boredom. Kakuzu since he was in charge of the group finances – not that he was entirely willing to part with any of it – and Deidara, because Konan didn't trust Hidan and Kakuzu alone in public.

They arrived in no time, much to Kakuzu's dismay. He practically had to hold the girl still as he laid out some ground rules. 'Listen up. We're here for one set of clothes, and one set of _appropriate_ footwear. You have a budget of 3000 yen and I want to be no longer than one hour. Understood?'

'3000 yen? You can't even get a pair of boots for that! I need _at least_ 10000…'

Kakuzu glared at her and rubbed his temples. He began to get the sinking feeling this was going to take longer than he hoped. 'You can take 5000. End of discussion.'

Akira pouted but accepted the money anyway. 'Where shall we meet you?'

'We?' Hidan raised an irritated eyebrow, not liking the sound of this.

'Of course… I need your opinions!' She gestured to Hidan and Deidara. They both began to protest, but she cut them off, pulling an innocent face. 'Well unless you want me to take aaaaaages on my own…'

'Alright! Fine, yeah. How come Kakuzu gets out of it?' Deidara huffed, crossing his arms.

'Because Kakuzu is busy.' Said man answered for himself in third person, already making his escape and heading for the nearest bar. He needed a good stiff drink.

********** Back at the base **********

'So. You brought them here because?' A gruff voice echoed around the office, and Kiri had to suppress a shiver as she answered.

'T-they came looking for Akira. I think we can use them against her…'

'And why is that any use to me?'

'Because I'm sure she's up to something. I don't know what yet… But I don't trust her.' From behind the mask of the man before her, she heard him snicker, so briefly that she wasn't sure if she'd imagined it.

'Do what you like. It concerns me not. Dismissed.'

'Y-yes, sir. Thank you, sir.' She hurried out of the office, letting out a deep breath as she closed the door behind her. That guy gave her the creeps…

********** In the village **********

'Ohhhh myyyy Goddddd, they all look the same just _pick_ one already!' Deidara was slumped against the wall outside the changing room.

Hidan hadn't spoken for a while. He'd long since lost interest in offering his 'opinion' and was now trying to decide how quickly he could sacrifice all the staff in this Jashin-damned shop.

'They aren't the same! I don't want to get the strappy one because it's cold and the long sleeved one is too blue!'

'How can something be too blue? Konan owes us for this, big time.' The blonde mumbled under his breath. 'What's wrong with the green one?'

'I dunno… Is it not a bit boyish?'

He slapped a hand over his face and groaned. Kakuzu would be so pissed off when they eventually joined him; they were two hours late already.

'Okay, I think I've decided. How about this?' The cubicle door clicked and swung open, to show Akira wearing a plain black skirt, which slanted across the bottom, so that one side fell just below her knee. It had a long slit running up the shorter side revealing dark grey shorts underneath that tightly hugged her thighs. Her black, long-sleeved top was loose, and hung just above her stomach, showing the rim of her waist.

Hidan was suddenly paying attention again, and gave her a teasing wolf whistle. 'That's great, now can we PLEASE get out of here?'

Akira's face twisted into astonishment as the back of her hand flew dramatically to her forehead. 'Hidan saying please? What have I done to you?!'

'Yeah, yeah, hilarious.' He rolled his magenta eyes and stomped off to the exit, aggressively hurling some money at a startled cashier.

Deidara threw the man a quick explanatory nod, gesturing to Akira's outfit, and the pair hurried outside after Hidan.

Kakuzu _was_ pissed. Literally. Akira had to bite her thumb to keep from bursting into laughter the whole way home as he swayed awkwardly and fumbled with his wallet, stuffing in the few spare notes they'd had left.

They arrived at the base a few minutes later, pausing outside so Hidan could force several bottles of water down his partners throat in an attempt to sober him up. He didn't bother to hide his enjoyment as he sniggered when Kakuzu spluttered the liquid clumsily, dribbling it down his front.

As soon as they entered, Akira set to work with some red and white fabric she'd picked up just before their last shop. She stitched a large red cloud on the front of her new top and three around her skirt, in a slight rebellion against the fact that she never had and probably never would be able to get one of the official cloaks herself.

Now she didn't need one, she twisted in the small bathroom mirror, standing on her tiptoes to try and see the full effect of her handiwork. She grinned at herself, obviously pleased, and strutted out into the corridor in search of her only female friend.

Konan loved her outfit, stating that it was much better than a boring old cloak. To complete it, she made Akira a small, red paper rose for her hair, which she tucked into the top of her ponytail gratefully. Kiri rolled her eyes and mumbled something about her being a suck up, earning herself a glare from Konan.

* * *

See you next time!


	11. Chapter 11 - Hidden Message

A/N - So I completely forgot to upload this and I'm so annoyed that I forgot :(

But at least its up here now, it's a good job I re-read my stories every now and again! - I can't believe no one mentioned the strange skip of infomation!

Then again there aren't that many readers on this one.

Still a disclaimer!

* * *

'I'm fine, really! I do want to help you, please, let me try again…'

Konan was pacing and she chewing her lip indecisively as she considered the options. Akira had been pestering her all morning to let her try again with the prisoner. She kept repeating that she was perfectly fine and insisting that it was her own fault for letting her guard down. After another long moment of deliberation, Konan sighed, and Akira knew she had won her friend over.

'Two conditions.'

Her cobalt eyes shimmered as she grinned. 'Of course, anything!'

'Firstly, the man is going to be bound and chained while you're in there.'

'Okay…' She had expected that anyway. To be honest, she was surprised that wasn't their original policy anyway, the Akatsuki weren't exactly known to be very trusting of enemies.

'Second, I want at least one member with you in there at all times. Do you understand?' Konan did her best impression of being stern, but Akira just continued to grin as she agreed.

She practically skipped through the door and across the hallway to her own room. Akira was determined to be useful this time, which meant she had to be prepared. She pocketed her faithful whistle and slipped an emergency kunai into her ninja pouch and, remembering the chill of the prison cells, pulled on an oversized hooded jacket that she had 'borrowed' from Deidara, and headed to the staircase that led to the dungeons.

This time, only two of the Akatsuki were waiting to greet her.

'Hey, isn't that mine?' Deidara accused, pulling the too-big hood up over her head so that it covered her eyes.

'Nope. I just shrunk!' She grinned as she peeped out from under it.

'Come on, you two. You can flirt later…' Kisame chuckled as he led the way, ignoring their glares of protest.

This time, she was sure the smell was worse than she remembered, and she jogged ahead of them in a vague attempt to hurry them along, unable to cope. Once out of the chamber and in the cell area, she wriggled her nose as it adjusted to being in a less hostile atmosphere.

'Looks like we have some new guests down the hall…' Kisame mumbled as he fiddled with the same rusty key as last time. Her eyes flickered to the other cell doors, and noticed another one now had a glowing blue barrier.

She went to step through the door but Deidara nipped in front before she could enter, leading the way defensively. Strangely, she didn't feel afraid or nervous as she entered. Instead, a strong feeling of unwavering determination washed over her.

The man was, as Konan had said, bound and chained. Her eyes wandered over his frail frame, pausing to wince at the way the chains cut deep into his wrists leaving them raw and bloody.

Deidara moved to stand at the side of him, yanking on the chains harshly and making her jump as the man was hoisted to his feet.

'I'll be outside…' Kisame gave the blonde a nod before closing and locking the door behind him.

The prisoner, Kota as she recalled, began to wheeze heavily as he raised his glassy eyes to meet hers, a cruel, twisted grin spreading across his face. 'S-so…' He coughed painfully. 'Back again?'

Akira kept her eyes on his as she moved to stand directly before him. He grimaced slightly when Deidara tightened his grip on the chains.

'It's alright, Dei…' His cheeks tinged pink in surprise at the old nickname, which did not go unmissed by Kota, who began to laugh brokenly.

'Look… You s-seem like… a nice enough girl–' Another series of hacking erupted from his throat and Akira realised grimly that he was not going to last much longer like this.

'Weird way to address the girl you almost killed, yeah…' Deidara grumbled.

They ignored him and Kota continued. 'What's a thing like you… d-doing with this crowd?'

Shaking her growing concern for the dying man, she shot down his question. 'I'm not here to talk about my situation, Kota.'

His eyebrows lifted at the use of his name. ''Situation', eh? Not here b-by choice?'

Deidara shifted uncomfortably in the corner of her eye, and she decided hastily to move things along. 'Hold still, please.'

He swallowed hard, blinking furiously as she lifted one hand towards him. She touched two fingers softly to his forehead, applying slight pressure as a pale glow began to form around them.

With that, she was in. The only way to describe her experience inside another's memories, was as though she was standing in a dark room, surrounded in a library's worth of papers fluttering and dancing around her face, each piece containing a story, like individual parts of a puzzle that made up his life. She skimmed them rapidly, searching for anything of relevance.

She was suddenly aware of a pressure forming behind her eyes, which from experience she recognised as the host resisting. She squinted and scanned the mass of papers faster, until her sight dipped into a scene from two years ago. Kota was lying face down on what looked like a dentist table. He was screaming, an ear-piercing sound that hurt her ears, even if it was just an echo. Akira looked around the room he was in. He wasn't alone…

Two yellow eyes lined with purple that she remembered all too well stared through her, unseeing. Orochimaru. He was carrying something sharp that vaguely resembled a needle of sorts, but before she could decipher it, her vision blurred. She was running out of time.

Pulling back from the sheet she selected another, more recent memory. Kota was in a prison cell, not dissimilar from this one. Voices sounded from behind the bolted door and after a moment she recognised them as Kabuto and Orochimaru. They were talking in a hushed tone, so it was difficult to make out, but the words 'powerful' and 'husk' sprung out to her. _Finally something of significance!_ She tucked the memory away in her mind and prepared to leave.

She was about to release herself when the swirling papers suddenly froze, with one, larger sheet hovering before her. Confused, she reached out to it, her eyes widening as she stared at its content.

A throbbing began to pound against the back of her head, and she clutched her hair as she staggered backwards in pain. The sheet of paper followed her, forcing its way into her view.

The page was coloured in black and red scribbles, vaguely resembling blood splotches, contorted with the Akatsuki symbol. But the most horrifying thing on the page, was the small, orange swirl that featured dead in the centre of the collage.

Beneath it was a small inscription, entitled, 'nice enough thing'. A message for her? From Kota? She scrunched her eyes, trying to ignore the searing pain that by now had half blinded her. It read:

_To that nice enough thing,_

_There's something else here, something powerful. I do not know what, but I can tell you this, it is evil. Leave now, while you still can._

A sharp ripple of air erupted around her, sending her flailing backwards until her back collided with something cold and hard. Deidara was in front of her in a flash, and she shook her head to clear her mind. The throbbing was gone, all the pain washed away the second she left Kota's mind.

'What happened, yeah? Are you alright? You're chakra was…' He paused, watching her cautiously. 'It was gone… It was weird, yeah, just for a moment, it just flickered away…'

She blinked hard, tilting her head to peek over his shoulder at the man. He was lying face down on the ground, not moving.

'Is he…' She began, but she already knew the answer.

'Yeah… He's dead, Akira.'

* * *

So there's the chapter, again, I'm soooo sorry for not uploading this before!


	12. Chapter 12 - Escape

A/N: Another chapter for y'all.

Extremely obsessed with Naruto at the mo, it comes and goes, and I'm in the height of the obsession now, so I'm writing a lot faster and a lot more. Even started another story, but don't worry, I won't abandon my others :)

I am multi-tasking believe it or not.

* * *

Akira had seen her fair share of death in her time, but she had never experienced it from inside someone's head before. It disturbed her to say the least. That night, she hardly slept, tossing and turning repeatedly for what seemed like an eternity, until eventually she could take it no more. Slipping into some fluffy socks she had picked up in town, she inched into the corridor and, seeing that the coast was clear, tiptoed towards the dungeons.

She wasn't really sure why she was headed there, only that something during the 'interrogation' had seemed off. He'd been trying to tell her something, in his head with that small message, she just had to figure out what. She had purposely failed to add this minor detail in her mission report, though she had included the main point of her being there.

The memory she had stored away was the one from when Kota had been in the hands of Orochimaru, and had overheard a conversation between the merciless snake and his faithful accomplice, Kabuto.

She had willingly shared the memory with Konan, who had muttered that it appeared that they had been onto something where searching for the ten tails husk was concerned. The blue-haired woman had thanked her and hurried off to file the report and fill their mysterious leader in, who Akira had _still_ yet to meet..

Being alone allowed her to race through the torture chamber as fast as she could, and she practically dived through the prison door, half-slamming it shut behind her.

Hmm. Now what?

She wandered up to the viewing window that had once held Orochimaru's ex test subject. She sighed loudly, her curiosity spiking when she remembered what Kisame had said earlier.

'Looks like we have some new guests down the hall…'

She padded silently down the damp hallway, shivering as a chill ran down her neck. A light cough sounded from inside the door, which was taller than the first, so she had to shift up onto her tiptoes to peep through the bars. When she did, what she saw, or rather, whom she saw made her heart skip a beat.

'H-Haru…' Her voice was barely a whisper, but his head snapped up at her voice.

'…Akira?!'

'Oh my God… Haru, what the hell…'

She scrabbled at the door but of course it was locked. He met her on the other side, his fingers curled around the bars, and she lifted hers to meet them.

'What are you doing here?!' They kept their voices low as her eyes scanned the surrounding area for any sign of a key. There was none.

'I was out looking for you! And Daisuke and Jana were… Then there was this girl… and the weather and… I _knew_ they had you! What happened, are you alright?!' While he continued babbling, Akira's hearing twitched as the faint footsteps approaching drifted through the door from the chamber.

'Shh shh… I heard something… I think someone's coming.'

'Oh no, you've got to hide!'

Not wanting to outright admit to her friend that she was staying out of choice, especially not in this sort of situation, she followed his order. Crouching behind an old set of metal drawers, she held her breath.

She poked her head around her cover just an inch. Who else was up at this hour? She had to physically restrain herself from cursing when the one member of Akatsuki she didn't want it to be arrived. Kiri.

The red head pulled out a set of old keys from her cloak and dropped them onto the draws with a loud clang, scaring Akira half to death. She glanced up just in time to see amber eyes lock with hers for one split second. Then she left.

Frowning, she stood up cautiously. She examined the set of keys that Kiri had left on the drawers in front of her. _She's… helping me? But why?_

She could hear Haru shuffling nervously from inside his cell. Without a second thought, she darted for the lock, jamming the first key she could get her fingers on into the keyhole. After two more attempts, it clicked, and the door shuddered as it creaked open.

Haru leapt at her, embracing her in the tightest hug she'd ever had. She folded her arms around him in response, nuzzling her face into his neck, trying to comfort him. When he pulled back, she got a better look at his face.

The left side of his forehead was badly bruised, with several dark blotches of dried blood below his nose and mouth.

'Oh Haru…' She whimpered sadly, touching a hand to his cheek.

'Forget about me, are you alright? We need to get out of here…' He was so busy trying to plan their next move that he seemed to pass over the strange fact that she had managed to acquire a set of keys.

She tugged his hand in the direction she had come, hurrying them through the long, dreadful smelling chamber and up into the corridors of the Akatsuki base.

'Hey, how do you know which way to go?'

She gulped. 'Erm, because I… came this way before? To find you?'

'…Oh yeah, course! Come on, we should hurry.' _That was too close._

'Wait! Didn't you say Daisuke and Jana were with you?'

'They… aren't in there… I don't know where they are.' His head drooped and his hair hung limply over his eyes as he spoke. She could hear the worry lacing his words, but they both knew there was no time to look for them now.

Amazingly, they managed to make their way outside unseen, well, aside from her bizarre encounter with Kiri.

As soon as their feet hit the grass, they ran. Swiftly and silently, without a single pause for breath until they reached the town nearby.

'What… the hell… just happened?' Haru panted, leaning back against the side of an old, crumbling inn.

'I believe you and I just escaped an S rank criminal hideout!' She gave a breathy laugh, though she found no humour in their predicament.

'Hey, we can stay in this hotel for the night and get our bearings. I need to send word to the Mizukage about my team…'

'No, don't!'

He threw her an odd look.

'I mean… Don't yet. We should just rest for now. Besides, they might have made it out already?' Without waiting for him to reply, she dragged him in through the front of the hotel.

Their room was small, and typically, only had one bed. Too tired to care, she snuggled her back up to Haru, who had already flopped face down onto the mattress, and allowed herself drift away into a broken slumber.

********** Back at the base **********

'So, she's found some new allies, hm?' The dark figure mused.

'Y-yes sir. She helped him escape, we saw the whole thi–'

'We?'

The redhead gulped. 'Myself and Deidara, sir.'

'Ah, how interesting. Still, I do not see how this is anything of importance.'

Kiri stared at their leader, her mouth hanging open slightly. 'B-because she can't be trusted! She's helping prisoners escape and–'

'One, completely unimportant prisoner, you mean. One of which, you gave her the keys to free' He was mocking her.

She resisted glowering at him and tried again. 'Because I knew she'd take the bait and now that is proof that she can't be trusted! She could give out information on Akatsuki. Important or not, that prisoner was her obviously someone she knows well, so what's to stop her from choosing sides and plotting against us?'

The man was silent for a moment. He leaned forward on the desk, running one long finger over the surface of the rotting wood, then lifting it to examine the dust collected on his fingertip. 'Very well. I shall play your game for now, Kiri. Do what you must to the girl, but I warn you now, this is all on you.'

'Yes sir.' She bowed once and scurried out of the office, smirking as she retreated to her room.

* * *

Hope you likey, see you round!


	13. Chapter 13 - Discovered?

**A/N: **Thanks for sticking with me so far, i'm just now realising the difficulty of keeping up 3 stories AND uni at the same time.

I'm managing my weekly updates ish though, so far so good I suppose.

* * *

Akira was awoken by the sound of an irritatingly loud cockerel, who had apparently decided he was going to pronounce his territory right outside their hotel window.

Groaning, she sat up. Haru was not in the room, though the sound of running water coming from their small ensuite bathroom gave him away. As she waited, she panicked. She was going to have to tell him when he came out. It was now or never, and though she wished with all her heart it could be the latter, she knew that would never work.

Several minutes later, he emerged, a goofy, lopsided grin plastered over his battered face.

'Mornin!' He chirped, a little too happily.

'Hi…' She worried her lip nervously as he came to sit beside her. 'Haru, I need to tell you something. Something about me.'

His face sobered and his eyebrows knitted together, forming a small concerned line across his forehead. 'About your past?'

Nodding slowly, she cleared her throat and raised her head, forcing herself to look him in the eyes. 'You might not like it…'

Haru tilted his head slightly, but simply waited for her to continue. His expression unreadable, she debated with herself for a moment, before speaking again, her voice low and wobbly. 'I…I have my memories back. All of them.'

He shifted on the bed to give her his full attention. When she didn't continue, he placed a hand lightly on her shoulder. 'Whatever you did, it doesn't matter to me. I know who you are now and that's the only thing that's important.'

'Please, don't.' She whimpered. 'You're only making this harder…'

He nodded and moved his hand away, his mouth forming a straight, thin line.

'I… Well, you see, I was… I was _with_ them… The Akatsuki…' She started slowly, examining his face for any hint of emotion. There was nothing. 'I never did anything though, I mean, I never killed anyone… Not directly anyway, I suppose…' She thought back to her very first mission with Deidara. Their exact orders had been to silence a man from Iwa. She shook the memory and continued. 'When they came for me in the Hidden Mist, I had no recollection of it at all, but they showed me when I got there, and everything came back to me. I didn't know what to do, I was so confused… If I came back to the village I'd be putting everyone there at risk, but if I stayed… I don't know.'

'So, what are you going to do?'

'Huh…' His question threw her slightly; she had no idea. 'I don't know. I need to go back though, or they'll come after me. I can't just up and disappear without telling anyone, especially not with their prisons being emptied…'

'Then you should go back.' He sucked in a breath, offering her a small reassuring smile.

She studied him carefully. His light brown hair was dripping down his shirt from his shower, with two dark, damp patches forming on his shoulders. His eyes were downcast; seemingly very interesting in twiddling his hands, but Akira could see the small shadow that had formed over his chocolate orbs.

They finally agreed to meet up again in that same hotel room later that night, at midnight to be exact. He had stared after her as she left with a heart-wrenchingly broken expression.

She raced back through the trees, realising with irritation that she had ruined her new fluffy socks.

The base was quiet as she scuttled through the corridors, though that was nothing new. Finally, she arrived in her room, and she slumped to the ground with her back to the door.

'Where have you been, yeah?'

His voice nearly finished her off. One more surprise that week and she was certain her heart would give out.

'Geez, Deidara. You nearly killed me…'

He smirked, but there was a strange darkness to his blue eyes that made her feel uneasy. 'Been doing some late night shopping, yeah?' He was leaning casually in the doorway to her bathroom, arms crossed with one knee bent so his foot was resting flat against the wall.

'Something like that…' She muttered.

'Hmm.' Did he know? Had he seen her?

'Gonna tell me why you're skulking in my bathroom?' She tried to change the subject and make a joke, but there was still the far-off look in his eyes as they flickered to meet hers.

'I was looking for you…'

'Oh. Why?'

'Where were you?'

'I couldn't sleep.'

'So, you went where?'

'Why does it matter?'

'I'm just asking, yeah…'

'Well don't! I couldn't sleep so I went to get some fresh air, alright?' She half-shouted, and regretted it instantly. He definitely knew _something_.

Hurt flashed across his face when she raised her voice and she felt gripped by guilt. 'Sorry… I'm just tired–'

'Forget it, yeah. I'll be in the living room.'

He brushed past her, bumping shoulders awkwardly as he tried to get around her.

'Dei, I'm sorry… Deidara, wait a second…' It was too late, he'd already gone. She groaned and slid back down to the floor before her knees buckled underneath her.

The blonde stormed down the corridor, marching straight past the living room and towards the back of the base. He arrived at a small wooden door, and his fist lifted to hover in front of it. After a moment, he tapped, softly on the wood.

The door opened a crack, then more fully when the rooms' occupant saw it was him.

'Hey…' He mumbled, stepping over the threshold.

'Did you confront her?'

'Sort of… but she lied to me, yeah. She said she went for some fresh air.'

'Did you see where they went? After they got outside, I mean?'

'Yes. They went to a hotel.' His expression was blank, emotionless.

'And?'

'I don't know, yeah,' He snapped. 'They stayed the night.'

The girl before him sneered cruelly. She flicked a hand through her brilliant red hair, amber eyes glowing in the dim light. 'I knew it. She's probably spying on us!'

The bomber tilted his head slightly, frowning. 'She wouldn't do that… Anyway, how can she be? We're the ones that brought her here and she didn't even have any memory of us until then…'

'True, but now she does remember and she knows she has new loyalties elsewhere. And don't forget, it was _her_ choice to forget you all in the first place…'

Her words stung him, though he tried not to show it. Still unconvinced, he let out a breath as he reached for the door handle. 'I just don't think she could betray anyone like that even if she wanted to…'

'She seems pretty close to that Haru guy though. Who know what she'd do for him.' With this, the redhead had struck a nerve and she knew it. She watched at Deidara stormed out of the room without even bothering to close the door behind him, and Kiri just watched him go.

* * *

A/N: Any suggestions before the chapters run out and I discontinue this version of the sequel would be much appreciated! It's a shame to let it go, even if I am rewriting it...


	14. Chapter 14 - Encounter

A/N: Hi, so how are you all finding this fic? Anyone prefer this to the newer version?

This one is still discontinued for now, but if I get enough feedback wanting me to continue this one then I'll probably be inspired to :)

* * *

The hours ticked by and Akira paced anxiously as she worried her lower lip. _This is ridiculous. He doesn't know… He can't. If he knew he'd have said something!_

She huffed loudly and let her body go limp as she collapsed onto her bed.

'Please don't hate me…' She whispered softly into her pillow, though she wasn't sure who she wanted to hear her, she did know one thing. She was trapped. Trapped in a complete and utter dire situation, where, inevitably, someone she cared about was going to get hurt, and it would be her fault.

Her fists clutched the bed sheets and she rolled onto her back, staring blankly at the ceiling. She glanced at the wall clock. 11:45, time to get going.

Hesitantly, she pulled her Akatsuki top and skirt over her black ninja attire, and slipped silently out the door. She walked as casually and least-suspiciously as she could, unable to shake the wary feeling that she was being watched.

I'm just being paranoid. Stupid conscience…

She broke into a hasty jog and rounded a corner, running straight into an extremely unimpressed looking Deidara.

'Can't sleep, Akira?' Something about the way he hissed her name sent shivers up her spine. She noted briefly that his cloak was absent, leaving the jagged stitching on his arms uncovered and somehow making him look a lot taller.

She shook her head mentally and blinked at him. 'W-what do you mean?'

He took a step toward her and, instinctively, she took one step back. 'Do you think I'd hurt you, yeah?' His words cut through her, disappointment flashing through his eyes.

Forcing her eyes to meet his, her mouth formed a thin line as she spoke, her voice barely audible. 'I don't think you'd _want_ to…'

He took a few more steps towards her and she, in turn, stumbled backwards until her back hit a cold, stone wall. He paused, his face inches from hers, his eyes boring into her accusingly. Pressing his palms against the wall either side of her head, she watched with vague curiosity as all emotion vanished from his face.

For a few moments, neither of them moved.

Akira found herself holding her breath as she anticipated his next move. She couldn't read him, at first she had thought him angry with her, but now…

His eyes squeezed shut and his forehead landed gently on hers. She faltered at his sudden vulnerability, her heart skipping a beat as she listened to him sigh.

'Don't.' His breath tickled her face as her eyebrows began to knit together in confusion.

'Don't what?'

His eyes flickered open, and she was pinned once again by stubborn, piercingly blue irises. 'Don't go, yeah.'

She swallowed slowly, trying to steady her breathing. This situation was hauntingly familiar. His hand ghosted across her face to brush a loose strand of teal hair behind her ear, and she quivered lightly at his touch. His gaze danced over her face, examining her features as she watched the corners of his mouth tilt upward in a faint smile.

'D-deidara, I have to–'

He moved again abruptly, cutting her off as she fell forward slightly. He was now standing a few feet away with his back to her. She hugged herself subconsciously as she edged forward, missing the warmth.

'I won't stop you. But you should know, there are people that are out to get you, Akira. I can't protect you if you go…'

'I don't need protecting.' She snapped, harsher than intended.

'Hm,' he chuckled humourlessly as he began to stroll away.

Cursing quietly, Akira made to follow him, but something inside her pulled her back. She was going to be late with her rendezvous with Haru… He'd worry. He'd probably come out to look for her, which meant he'd be in danger… _Hell, he's already in danger._

Pursing her lips in irritation, she took off after the blonde. 'Wait!' She called after him down the dark hallway. She couldn't see him anymore, but she could still vaguely hear his footsteps. Her pace slowed until she was stopped still in the blackness, panting lightly. She clenched her fists and, after one last long look around the corridor, changed direction and headed for the exit of the base.

Outside, the moon was a thin sliver of a curve in the sky, with very few stars to light up the forest. The trees loomed over her as she ran, pausing every so often to reconsider her destination. Eventually she arrived at the edge of the town. Passing through several streets, she arrived outside the same hotel she had stayed in with Haru the night before.

She was about to enter when a shout from behind startled her.

'Akira!' That was Daisuke!

She spun around just in time to glimpse a blur of auburn hair and brilliant emerald eyes as the boy yanked her into a tight embrace.

'D-Daisuke?!'

He pulled back and grinned. Haru appeared beside him, mirroring his expression. 'He wasn't captured after all, he managed to get far enough into the forest so that he was undetected and has been trying to find the others every since!'

Akira blinked at the pair. 'And Jana?'

Their faces fell and Daisuke mumbled, 'I haven't seen her yet…' his voice trailing off strangely. Akira glanced at him questioningly, sucking her breath in when she realised what he had seen. She was wearing her Akatsuki outfit…

Haru, thankfully, noticed the exchange of awkward looks and dived in to save her. 'No time to explain, Daisuke, but don't worry, everything's alright.' He turned back to Akira. 'We came with another squad, we split up and were meant to meet them ages ago, but they'll probably be on their way back for further orders from the Mizukage by now. Captain Hotaka isn't well known for his patience.' Haru began to lead them through the streets towards the opposite side of the village to which she had entered. 'There's another village, the Land of Rivers, just South of here. We'll stay there tonight.'

Guilt began to rise in the pit of her stomach as she toyed with the idea of staying away another night. She hurried after the pair of Mist ninja as she deliberated. Daisuke didn't know about her experience with the Akatsuki, and she had been unable to decide how Haru felt about it.

They crossed the border of the village and her feet hit grass once more. They leapt swiftly up into the trees, flying through the branches with ease. It was only then that they realised they were being followed.

'Haru…' She mumbled.

'I know.' He kept his eyes ahead of him. Daisuke seemed aware of this as well, as his pace slowed slightly.

The trio landed silently on the ground, standing back to back. Akira's fingers found their way to an old wooden whistle, nestled snugly in the depth of her ninja pouch.

A familiar flicker of black and red flashed through the tree trunks in the way they had come, and Akira's stomach flipped as recognition dawned on her.

'Woah, what the fuck's going on here?' Furious magenta eyes narrowed in her direction.

She forced a timid smile and laughed nervously. 'H-hey… Erm, funny story actually…'

'Please, do enlighten us.' She resisted cowering under Kakuzu's harsh green glare, but the temptation was extremely high.

Hidan crossed his arms impatiently over his chest. She opened her mouth to reply, but before she could, a whirlwind of auburn hair darted past her, a glint of metal flashing in the corner of her eye.

Her blue irises widened as she flailed to catch his arm, but she was too slow, and had to watch in horror as he charged, kunai in hand, at the two Akatsuki members.

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A/N: Just a side note, I now have a new fic with some one-shots (even though I';ve only done Hidan so far) of the Akatsuki learning to drive.

Let me know what you think :)


	15. Chapter 15 - Confrontation

A/N: So I got an encouraging review and it reminded me to update (So sorry I forgot about fanfiction for a while, things have been getting busy with uni and everything!)

I'm back to Earth now though, and I shall continue to update with my other fics as well :)

Enjoy :D

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Metal clanged, and Akira barely had enough time to distinguish faces in the heated flurry of battle that had broken out. She stared helplessly as their weapons collided in great angry bangs, chewing on her lip intensely enough to draw blood.

Her vision focused on Haru, he was holding his own well enough for now against the older male, but it was only a matter of time before he slipped up and Kakuzu finished him off.

Daisuke, on the other hand, was not doing so well. At 19, Daisuke was the youngest and most inexperienced of the group. He was already starting to slack, struggling to dodge the continuous swinging of Hidan's three-pronged scythe. The grey-haired Jashinist howled with laughter, his pink eyes wild and crazy. Suddenly his weapon landed a hit, blocked only by Daisuke's two kunai, held up in a cross at the edge of the middle blade. Hidan tugged the scythe to the side, forcing it further down on the teenager's knives.

Daisuke yelped in surprise as the blade at the top drew closer to his forehead. Springing into action, Akira leapt between them, clamping her hands around the handle and forcing it backwards to its owner. Hidan faltered, watching her curiously. Daisuke was panting hard behind her, and she heard him slump to the ground exhausted and, clearly relieved she had stepped in.

She glanced over to Haru and Kakuzu, who had also stopped fighting to watch. It dawned on her that they were all waiting for an explanation, which she didn't have. All she knew was that she wanted them to stop.

When she didn't speak, Kakuzu broke the silence. 'Tch.'

She flinched at the sound, but remained quiet. He turned his back arrogantly to Haru, who scowled as the Akatsuki member moved to stand beside his partner.

'Let's head back.'

'What? Fuck no. Lord Jashin is waiting for his sacrifice and I know exactly who it's gonna be.' His eyes hovered over Daisuke, but Akira moved herself between them.

'He's right Hidan. We should go back.'

'_We_?' The two Mist ninja protested in unison.

'Actually, Akira, we have orders to bring you back with or without your permission.' Kakuzu's expression changed to something vaguely apologetic, though from behind his high collar she couldn't be sure.

Hidan started to grumble something unintelligible about a considerable lack of blood spilt recently, while they both began to make their way back towards the base. They knew Akira would follow without complaint.

'You're not seriously going with them are you?' Daisuke accused when she began to move. She spun to face him, her finger extended in front of her, pointing directly in his face. She looked angry.

'How could you be so stupid, Daisuke? What the hell were you thinking charging in like that? They could've killed you in no time!'

He jumped at her outburst, but held his ground. 'What was _I_ thinking? What are _you_ thinking? Is someone gonna fill me in here or do I just assume you're one of _them_?'

'Alright, you two, we need to calm down.' Haru planted a hand firmly on the teenagers shoulder to hold him back, while Akira simply turned and walked after the Akatsuki members. 'I'll explain everything to you on our way to the village… Akira?' He called after her softly.

She paused, but she didn't look back.

'Be careful.'

********** Back at the base **********

'A mission? Why?' Akira stared in shock at the lilac-haired woman before her.

Konan nodded once. 'Orders from above. You're all going after the eight tails.'

'But why so many of us? And why me? Everyone knows I'm useless at physical combat…'

Kisame chuckled. 'That's exactly why. You're ability to gather information will come in rather handy in locating this particular Jinchuuriki.'

'But I still don't see why Itachi can't do it,' She turned to the Uchiha. 'You're coming too right? So _why me_?!'

'Because Itachi's methods more often than not leave a lasting impression. This time we need to stay hidden and leave no evidence behind.'

'No offence, but Deidara's methods aren't exactly discrete…' She glanced at the bomber, who rolled his eyes at her comment.

'No, but his method of transport is.' Konan patted her friend on the head, playfully. 'Are you out of excuses now?'

Looking around at the four members, she sighed. 'Alright then. When do we leave?'

'As soon as Kiri arrives. Her technique of yielding the weather may be to your advantage.' Konan stated.

_Oh great, no one mentioned that Kiri was coming…_ Scowling at herself for the mean thought, she forced a smile as the redhead made her appearance.

So Akira, along with Itachi, Kisame, Deidara and Kiri, headed through the base for the exit. She stumbled into the darkness, vaguely aware of Deidara muttering something about hardly having any sleep. He formed three monstrous clay owls, and Itachi leapt up onto the first, followed by Kisame onto the second. Kiri had already settled herself onto the back of the third with the blonde, leaving Akira to scrabble onto the back of Kisame's.

The birds took off seconds later, Akira almost tumbling backwards off the tail. Kisame pulled her up in front of him, laughing at her glare as he did so.

'I hate these stupid things…' She mumbled.

The journey would be long, six days in total. Itachi explained as they flew that they would fly solidly for two days with only the supplies they had packed at the base to live on. Then they would make a short pit stop in the Hidden Grass village to restock, and after another two days of travel, another stop in the Village hidden in the Frost. It was evident that he wanted to completely avoid the Land of Fire, even though it would cut their journey shorter by at least two days, though no one really complained.

Akira ran her fingers through her teal locks as they rippled in the breeze. She found herself watching Deidara and Kiri on the bird in front. They were chatting about something she couldn't quite hear, but a strange stabbing feeling shot through her as she noticed how closely they were sat.

She frowned subconsciously and shook her head to clear the feeling, wobbling slightly as she did and almost sliding over the clay constructs head.

'You alright?' Kisame's voice startled her, and her head whipped round to see his concerned expression.

'I'm fine, just trying to rebalance…' She murmured.

He debated with himself for a moment before speaking again. 'They have a strange sort of relationship, those two.'

Her breath hitched in her throat at his statement. She remained quiet, listening intently as he continued, his voice low enough so that only she could hear.

'It's a sort of love-hate relationship. Deidara hates her, she gets on his last nerve, but she's passionate and lively and he respects that. Kiri, on the other hand, is harder to understand, especially after what happened between them… You know.'

She shifted slightly to throw him a questioning look. 'What do you mean?'

His forehead creased as he stared at her. 'You know, after you left, when she joined Akatsuki…'

She blinked at him.

'Oh. I thought you knew…'

'Knew _what_?' She pressed. Something told her she wasn't going to like this.

'Erm, well they er…' He fumbled with the collar of his cloak, desperately regretting putting his foot in it. 'They got together… for a bit… you know… Like, together…'

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A/N: Hope you enjoyed, R&amp;R and let me know what you think :D


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